


The Demon and Me

by mitigates



Series: AU One Shots [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: But the demons are nice, Demon AU, Demon Atsumu, Demon King Oikawa - Freeform, Hinata is the sun, M/M, Mentioned YamaTsukki, Mentioned sakuatsu, Yamaguchi is God, but it's kind of happy, demon Kageyama, demon bokuto, human hinata, implied major character death, mentioned iwaoi - Freeform, oikawa is the devil, sad kageyama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:47:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitigates/pseuds/mitigates
Summary: Hinata stared down at his piece of bread curiously, tilting his head slightly. His tongue was sticking out of the side of his mouth in a moment of pure concentration as he drew with his mayo. He drew a few lines, a couple of circles, and a dot at the top. He grinned down at it, plopped his turkey on the top, two pieces of cheese, and way too much tomato. His favorite sandwich. As he moved it from his cutting board to a plate, a puff of smoke grabbed his attention. A tall white-haired man stood in front of him. He had ghastly pale skin and no eyebrows, dark blocky tattoo’s protruded from his neck.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: AU One Shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824652
Comments: 7
Kudos: 94





	The Demon and Me

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt that kind of spun out of control.  
> “While putting your favorite condiment on a sandwich, you accidentally make a magical occult symbol and summon a demon. You silently take two more slices of bread out of the package and make another sandwich. You put it on a plate with a handful of potato chips and hand it to the demon. He takes the sandwich, smiles, and vanishes in a puff of demonic smoke. The next day you get the job promotion you were after. There was no contract. No words spoken. You owe nothing. But every now and then, another demon pops in for lunch. Demons don’t often get homemade sandwiches.”

Hinata stared down at his piece of bread curiously, tilting his head slightly. His tongue was sticking out of the side of his mouth in a moment of pure concentration as he drew with his mayo. He drew a few lines, a couple of circles, and a dot at the top. He grinned down at it, plopped his turkey on the top, two pieces of cheese, and way too much tomato. His favorite sandwich. As he moved it from his cutting board to a plate, a puff of smoke grabbed his attention. A tall white-haired man stood in front of him. He had ghastly pale skin and no eyebrows, dark blocky tattoo’s protruded from his neck. 

“Um, hi?”

He grunted in response and motioned to the sandwich.

Hinata looked down at his food and proceeded to pull out two more pieces of bread. He drew another design onto the bread, glanced up at the white-haired demon and put down two pieces of ham and a slice of cheese. He pulled a handful of chips out of the bag on the counter, put it all on a plate and pushed it toward the man. “Here!” Hinata said cheerfully. 

The white-haired man glanced down at the plate and a rare smile tugged at his lips. He looked back up at the orange-haired enigma in front of him and grunted.

Hinata tilted his head again. “You don’t like those chips? I have different ones!”

The man shook his head, signaling that he did like those chips. 

“I’m Hinata.” Hinata smiled again, lighting up an otherwise dark room. “Are you- are you a ghost?”

The man shook his head. “Demon.”

“Oh! Well, nice to meet you, demon. I hope you enjoy your sandwich.” Hinata turned toward the fridge for a Capri Sun. When he turned back, the man (and his sandwich) were gone. Hinata shrugged off the interaction and went about his day.  He was preparing for a big presentation at work and was incredibly nervous about it. He had been preparing his speech for weeks, but when it came down to it: he stumbled over his words every single time. He put on his favorite tie, a dark red one with a sun at the bottom that he tucked under his jacket. He took a breath and stepped into the conference room. 

* * *

Hinata smiled at his sandwich the next morning, drawing a different symbol than the night before. He covered it with a slice and turkey and two slices of cheese. As he lifted it to his mouth to bite into it, another puff of smoke appeared out of thin air. Hinata smiled at the company, happy to have someone in his house other than him.

This one was still pale, but with dark hair with a few curly tendrils falling on his forehead. He had two distinct moles above his eyebrow, adding a mark of imperfection to an otherwise flawless face. Hinata found the beauty marks endearing. 

“Hi!” Hinata greeted as he pulled out two more pieces of bread. He assumed the demons were appearing because they were hungry.

“Hello.”

“Oh! You’re already more talkative than the last one.” Hinata reached for the mayo container.

The demon’s dark eyes were trained on his hands. Hinata set the mayo jar back down. He hopped over to the sink and washed his hands, seeing the demon’s face relax exponentially as he scrubbed his hands. Hinata waited until the demon had stopped watching to dry his hands off. He moved back toward his counter, pulled out a freshly washed knife, and continued making the sandwich. 

“You look like a salami kind of guy. I love salami. I like turkey, salami, and sharp cheddar cheese together, it’s so good! Have you ever had a panini? They’re super good, I think you’d like them.” Hinata placed the second slice of bread on top of the sandwich and added some chips to the plate. “These are ume chips, I hope you like them. Some people don’t but I was in the mood for them. I’m Hinata, by the way.”

“Sakusa.” The demon stared down at the plate, a rare smile tugging on his face. He looked up at Hinata in thanks, then picked up the plate and disappeared.

Once again, Hinata shrugged off the interaction and got ready for work.

* * *

Two hours later and Hinata was being pulled into his top bosses office, sweating profusely. He took a deep breath and looked up at his manager.

“Is everything okay, sir?”

Mr. Sawamura beamed at him. “Please, Hinata, I’ve told you to call me Daichi.”

Hinata gulped and nodded. “Yes, sir- or Mr. Sawa- Daichi, sir.” Hinata was beyond flustered.

Daichi smiled at him. “I wanted to be the first to tell you that we are giving you the Senior Partner opening. I know it wasn’t what you applied for-”

“S-s-senior partner?” Hinata nearly jumped out of his seat. He applied for  _ Junior Partner _ ! 

“Yes, Hinata, you earned it. I know you applied for the Junior Partner position but after that incredible presentation yesterday and the work I’ve seen you do lately, you have gone above and beyond for the senior job. I do apologize for not seeing it earlier, you absolutely earned this job. Take the rest of the day to celebrate, Hinata. I’ll see to it that your pay change goes through immediately. Thank you for all the work you do here.” Daichi smiled widely at Hinata, happy to see how excited the younger man was for the promotion. He deserved it.

Hinata bounced toward his car, the biggest smile on his face. He started to head home then decided he should probably stock up on bread and lunch meat, he was low on cheese too. He didn’t know how many friends, er-demons he would have showing up so he had to be prepared for them. 

* * *

He set his groceries on the counter a little while after, a long yawn erupting from his mouth. He made his own sandwich and pulled out a new bag of his favorite spicy chips. He yawned again as he drew on his sandwich, connecting lines and circles. 

“You seem tired today, I heard you’re usually a ball of energy.”  A blonde-haired demon started talking before he fully appeared, Hinata couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was. He smirked at Hinata, a lazy overly appealing smile stretching across his lips. “Hi, Hinata.”

“Hi! Can I make you a sandwich?” Hinata asked, cheer overtaking his tiredness.

“I’d love one. Oh, are those Hot Cheetos? Man, I love Hot Cheetos, I haven’t had any in years.”

Hinata’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? They’re my favorite, here, take as much as you want!” Hinata slid the bag across the counter with a soft smile.

“You’re friendly.” The demon responded as he stuck his hand in the bag, his hand emerging covered in red dust.

“You’re cute,” Hinata blurted out.

Do demons blush? They must because the blonde sitting in the stool at Hinata’s kitchen counter did. “I’m Atsumu. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You’re the most talkative one so far!” 

“Who have you met?” Atsumu asked through a mouthful of Cheetos.

Hinata bit into his own sandwich. “I met a tall guy, white hair, no eyebrows. He was quiet.”

“That’s Aone, he speaks in grunts, kind of like a caveman.”

Hinata giggled and continued. “I met Sakusa.”

The demon’s eyes flashed with fondness. “Ah, yes. Sakusa. Did he-”

“Make me wash my hands? Not with words but I’ve never felt as dirty as I did when he stared at my hands  _ before _ I washed them.” Hinata laughed again and moved toward his fridge. “Capri Sun?”

Atsumu nodded his head, polishing off the rest of his sandwich. “Thanks, Hinata.”

Hinata handed Atsumu the drink and watched as he apparated away in a puff of black and white smoke. Aone disappeared and left behind a trace of forest green and white smoke. Sakusa’s smoke was mostly yellow with some black and white mixed in. As Hinata went into his living room to watch TV, he wondered what his own smoke would look like.

* * *

A couple of days later, Hinata dragged himself home after a very hellish day at work. He could barely keep his eyes open as he cut a tomato, yawning himself into oblivion. He habitually started on a second sandwich and laid his head on the cold counter, wondering who he would get to meet that day but also having no energy for it. He used the last of his energy to make a third sandwich, just in case that day's demon was extra hungry.

“Hey, hey, hey!” A boisterous voice broke Hinata of any trace of sleepiness.

“Oh, hi!” Hinata smiled at the tall, wide shouldered demon. “I’m Hinata!”

“I’m Bokuto! Wow, are these for me?!” Bokuto pumped his hands in the air as he saw the plate with two sandwiches and a handful of Doritos. “I LOVE Doritos!”

“Do you-” another yawn crept up. “-want some Capri Sun?”

“Sure, sure! I can get it. You look tired.” Bokuto grabbed two ice cold pouches out of Hinata’s fridge and sat down next to him. “This looks great!”

“Hey Bokuto, can I ask you something?”

Bokuto nodded enthusiastically. “Whatever you want!”

“Why do you guys keep coming over?” Hinata was sleepy and his curiosity was getting the best of him. As much as he enjoyed the company, he couldn’t help but wonder  _ why _ .

Bokuto thought for a moment as he chewed on his sandwich. “Well- you know you summoned Aone, right?”

Hinata shook his head, stuffing a Dorito into his mouth. “I did not know that. How did I do that?”

“The symbol that you drew on your bread, it was a conduit into The Land of the Damned and it summoned one of us. It’s random usually, you just happened to get Aone.” Bokuto explained as he finished his first sandwich and started on his second. “He came back and talked about how you made him a sandwich and let me tell you...Aone doesn’t talk. Like ever. Especially not to me, I think he thinks I’m loud or something-” Bokuto scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, us demons haven’t had anything close to a home cooked meal in...man, centuries probably!”

“What do you usually eat?”

“We have a cafeteria, different stuff each day usually.”

Hinata raised an eyebrow at him. “A cafeteria...for demons?”

Bokuto laughed loudly. “Yeah, man! It’s not  _ that _ bad, but nothing beats a good ole sandwich. You know you can make a sandwich yourself, but they’re never as good as when someone else makes it for you. Isn’t that weird?”

Hinata nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean.”

“One of us will have to bring you a sandwich one day! Ohh, I’ll tell whoever comes next to bring you something from The Land of the Damned.” Bokuto finished his second sandwich and bowed to Hinata. “You have exceeded my expectations. Thank you, Hinata!” Bokuto waved, but Hinata was already falling asleep as he waved back.

* * *

Hinata stopped by the gas station on his way into work the next day. “Hey! Can I get one of the scratchers?” The chatty girl behind the counter handed him a lottery ticket. She wished him good luck and he scratched the numbers off on the back of his car. He glanced down at it in confusion. He picked it up and took it back inside. “Hey, sorry to bug you, do you know what this means?”

She took the ticket from him and her eyes widened slightly. “Oh- it’s uh, it’s nothing. You didn’t win, better luck next time!”

Hinata frowned, his shoulders slumping slightly. He could really use the money so maybe he could live off of something other than sandwiches. His next paycheck wasn’t coming fast enough. He didn’t really have $3 to spend on that scratcher, but his luck had been so good lately! His promotion, he got a letter in the mail that his rent and utilities were going down, he got his favorite parking spot every day that week. He shrugged one shoulder. “Ah well, thanks!” Hinata went back to his car and thought about opening the bag of chips he was saving for later. He decided against it and closed his gas tank. 

He turned to get into his car and noticed a puff a white and light blue smoke seeping out of his window. He glanced into his car and saw another beautiful demon sitting in his passenger seat. 

“You should go back in there. She was lying.” The demon gave Hinata a small smile then disappeared in another puff of light blue and white smoke.

Hinata looked toward the store and noticed the chatty girl talking excitedly on her phone, running around the small market. He went back into the store and asked for his ticket back, claiming it was a keepsake. She fought him for a moment but eventually gave it back, her face a ghostly white color. 

Hinata looked into it and learned that his luck had indeed turned around, the scratcher was a winning ticket and it got him $1,000! 

Hinata celebrated by ordering takeout (after promising himself it wouldn’t be a regular thing, he was GOING to save that money!). He thought about what Bokuto said and he was right, sandwiches really were better when someone else made them. He hoped another demon would show up that night even though he wasn’t the one making sandwiches. To his delight, one did, appearing in a puff of black and orange smoke.

“Hi!”

“Hi.”

“I’m Hinata.”

“Tobio Kageyama.”

“Want a sandwich?”

“Yes.” Kageyama sat across from Hinata, settling into his couch. “I hear you make really good sandwiches.”

“I usually do. Sorry, I wanted to treat myself today. This is my favorite spot. I can make you one next time. I was just more tired than usual today and I’ve been craving one of these forever.” Hinata started tearing at the wax paper that his sandwich was wrapped in. 

“It’s fine. It looks good. Do you have any-”

“Oh, I have a lot of drinks! Um, kind of. I have Capri Sun. Or those kool-aids in a bottle, or I have milk. Do you want milk?” Hinata was already pouring a glass for Kageyama.

“Milk would be great. It goes great with sandwiches. I don’t get to have it much.” Kageyama frowned at the small amounts of milk that were available in The Land of the Damned.

“I have some mix-ins, do you want to try one? I have chocolate, hazelnut, strawberry, match- they’re these little powder things you add to milk to make it better!” Hinata pulled out two glasses and started pouring.

“Strawberry sounds great.” Kageyama responded as he quietly opened the sandwich and a napkin.

“You’re a lot quieter than the last guy.” Hinata pointed out, forever saying the first thing to come to his mind.

Kageyama huffed in response. “Anybody is quieter than Bokuto.”

Hinata laughed quietly, already learning from their short interaction that Bokuto was a force to be reckoned with. They sat in silence and ate their sandwiches. It wasn’t until Hinata’s alarm went off that he realized he had been staring at Kageyama. Kageyama noticed it at the same time, glaring at the red-head.

“What? Stop looking at me-” Kageyama stammered.

“You seem sad.” Hinata blurted out, as always.

Kageyama’s eyes softened for a moment. “I’m not sad right now.”

Hinata smiled widely. “Good!”

“What was the alarm for?”

“Oh, to shower!” Hinata responded as if that was normal to have an alarm set to shower.

“You need an alarm to remind yourself to shower?” Kageyama asked in disbelief. 

Hinata blushed and scowled. “Yes, and?! I forget sometimes.”

Kageyama laughed, slowly at first then he dissolved into a fit of laughter. Hinata couldn’t help but laugh alongside him. The two of them collapsed against the couch, already tired.

“Hey, Kageyama… how old are you?”

Kageyama shrugged. “I don’t keep track of things like that anymore. It’s been too long.”

“Do you know how long you’ve been a demon?”

“A long time,” Kageyama said with a sigh. The black square on his neck lit up for a moment, glowing white, and he stood. “Thank you for the food. I have to go.” With that, he disappeared into his cloud of black and orange smoke.

Hinata had a smile spread across his face until he fell asleep.

* * *

Two demons joined him for dinner a few nights later, Sakusa and Atsumu. Hinata didn’t know if demons had relationships but those two seemed to have  _ something _ going on. Hinata watched as Atsumu did all the things Sakusa needed him to do before Sakusa asked. Atsumu washed his hands, he wiped down the cutlery and plates that Hinata had set out, he wiped down the table where Sakusa was sitting, he even wiped down Sakusa’s chair. He did all of this while holding a casual conversation with Hinata as if Atsumu wasn’t implementing a new cleaning routine that Hinata was going to have to keep up if he wanted them to keep coming around.

Sakusa sat in the stool beside Atsumu, their knees lightly touching. Sakusa knew he was demanding, but Atsumu just didn’t care. Hinata smiled at them both, a fond look across his face as he watched them interact. Atsumu did most of the talking, but Sakusa was always attentive.

“How old are you guys? I asked Kageyama but he wouldn’t tell me.”

Atsumu dropped his fork and the clattering made Sakusa scrunch his nose up. Atsumu’s hand went to the back of his shoulder comfortingly as he addressed Hinata. “Kageyama came here?”

“Yeah, a few days ago. We had sandwiches.” Hinata responded through a bite of rice (he had upped his home cooked meal game in the recent days). Sakusa and Atsumu shared a look that made Hinata curious. “Why?”

“No reason.” Atsumu responded, too quickly for Hinata’s liking.

He tilted his head slightly as he watched the blonde push a piece of fish around his plate. “Liar!”

Atsumu smirked and met Hinata’s eyes. “He’s just- he hasn’t been one for long.”

Sakusa scoffed. “Tsumu, just because it’s not as long as you and I have been demons, doesn’t mean it isn’t long. It’s long compared to how old Hinata is.”

Hinata’s mouth fell open slightly. “How long?”

“Couple of centuries.” Atsumu said nonchalantly. 

Hinata proceeded to faint.

* * *

Hinata woke up in his bed, not remembering going to sleep at all. He clutched his head with a groan and realized that he had passed out in front of two of his demon friends. He looked around, face flushed, to see if they were still there. They weren’t. He laid back down, falling against his pillows, and sighed loudly. 

“You okay?” A light voice, smooth and delicate, called out to him. He almost thought it was a dream.

Hinata shot up again, feeling slightly dizzy, looking around for that soft voice he had heard only once before. He squinted into the darkness and could just barely spot the outside of a tall man sitting in the corner of his room, cloaked in the night.

“I’m okay. I think. Who are you?”

The man leaned forward, half of his face becoming illuminated by the soft moonlight peeking in through Hinata’s cracked blinds. “My name is Tooru.”

“I’m Hinata.”

“I know who you are.” The man stood and made his way to Hinata’s bedside. “You fainted.”

Hinata frowned. “I’ve never fainted before.”

“I know.” His voice was airy and light, a sense of haughtiness about it.

“You know?”

“I know everything about you, Shoyo.” Tooru sat on the edge of Hinata’s bed, his back toward the ginger.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you know everything about me?” Hinata rose and sat on his knees behind Tooru. Tooru was tall and strong, he had soft brown hair that almost hid the small horns on his head. Before Hinata realized what he was doing, he leaned forward and touched one of them. Tooru froze beneath his touch, unsure how to respond. Hinata took a tentative scoot forward and ran his fingers along the hardness of his horns. They started to grow and Hinata yanked his hand back. They went from small inch long roundish horns, to ones that curved and stuck out from his soft head of hair. “Whoa.” Hinata breathed.

Tooru smirked and stood, turning to face Hinata. “I’m the Demon King from The Land of the Damned. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You’re the- the- the- what now? You’re a King? A King of...Demons?” Hinata’s head was spinning uncontrollably.

“Take a breath, Shoyo.” Tooru reached out and patted his head gently. 

“Um- okay.” Hinata looked around his room in order to avoid direct eye contact. Tooru’s horns shrunk as the minutes passed in silence. “Do you want some food?”

“I’d love some.”

Tooru visited Hinata at least once a day over the next few months, but the other demons had stopped visiting. Hinata couldn’t find it in himself to ask why the others had stopped visiting. He didn’t want Tooru to feel like he wasn’t enough because he was! He was fun, he made Hinata laugh, and he loved to eat all of Hinata’s culinary experiments. He had to ask eventually though.

“Can I ask you something Tooru?”

Tooru looked up at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Hinata’s expression. “Mhm.”

“How come- I mean...why don’t- you know, the others?”

“Why don’t they come anymore?” Tooru asked for clarification. Hinata nodded slowly. Tooru leaned back, considering how to answer his question. Before he did, he disappeared in a cloud of light blue and white smoke.

Hinata reached out for him but he was gone. Seconds later, his living room was full of his demon friends. Hinata’s eyes gleamed at all of them. They each greeted him. Tooru sat back in his stool and watched. “We’ve just been busy. I didn’t mean to keep them from you.” Tooru said the words quietly, unsure if Hinata was even listening as he bounded from demon to demon. Hinata greeted Aone last and it was amusing to see their silent exchange of words. 

Hinata moved back to Tooru and smiled widely at him, happier than he’s been in years. “Thank you so much! I haven’t had this many friends since..I don’t even know. Never, probably. I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t like hanging out with just you because I do, I love hanging out with you!”

Tooru nodded in understanding. “I know, Shoyo. Have fun, I do have to go for a bit, I’ll check in on you later.” Tooru patted Hinata’s head again, running his fingers through his hair a little more than necessary. He had an increasingly large soft spot for the younger boy and he still wasn’t sure why.

Fortunately for Hinata, Tooru wasn’t the only one. Each of them were developing the same soft spot for the same orange-haired smiling boy. Aone appreciated that Hinata didn't need words to understand him. Sakusa gazed at him adoringly as he cleaned everything twice before handing it to Sakusa. Atsumu repeatedly told Hinata that he appreciated him and the light he was constantly exuding. Bokuto Kageyama was the most discreet about it, stealing tiny glances that he didn’t think anybody else saw (Tooru did, he saw everything), the smallest smile tugging at his lips as he watched Hinata wander throughout the room, saying hi to everyone. Kageyama’s eyes followed that orange hair as he threw his head back in laughter, as he tried to cover up a cough in his elbow, as he became tired so easily but still kept up his persona.

He came to Kageyama last, standing next to him from Kageyama’s spot on the wall where he watched everyone. 

“Kageyama! Hi!”

“Hello.”

Hinata tilted his head slightly, smiling. “Are you okay?”

Kageyama blinked in response. “Huh?” Kageyama had to wonder if anybody was asking Hinata if he was okay.

“You seem sad again. Are you always sad?”

“Not always.” Kageyama responded quietly, a bit defensively.

“Why are you sad?” 

“It’s hard when you start,” Kageyama started to explain, glancing at his fellow demons. “It’s hard to process all the emotions when you start dealing with souls.When you’re newer at it, like me, you’re the one to greet the ones that come down there to The Land of The Damned. They aren’t always bad souls, sometimes they just think they’re so bad that they get sent there. It isn’t always that they do something wrong, sometimes they thought they did so it was bad enough to send them to me. Convincing people that they aren’t meant to be is hard, it’s impossible sometimes. I carry a lot of souls with me, especially the ones that I wasn’t able to help.” Kageyama spoke softly, quietly, and slowly. Hinata listened as intently as he could.

“Sheesh, and I thought my job was hard.” Hinata responded as quietly as Kageyama spoke. “I just sit around and crunch numbers, tracking stuff and whatnot.”

“Simply surviving as a human is hard, Hinata, don’t downplay your life.” Kageyama said.

Hinata stared at him with wide eyes. “I guess it can be hard. It’s been a bit easier lately with you- uh, you all- all you guys around, it’s more fun.” 

“Good. I’m glad.” Kageyama didn’t seem to notice Hinata’s stutter.

“Now stop being so sad. You can tell me all about your souls and stuff, you can unload on me. I’m a good listener.” Hinata spoke animatedly, waving his hands around. “I promise!”

* * *

And so Kageyama did. He came to see Hinata each night after Hinata got home from work. Their friendship blossomed over days, weeks, and months

Kageyama brought food from his world to share with Hinata and laughed as Hinata frowned at it (but he ate the entire plate). Bokuto insisted Kageyama take it after promising some of their food to the orange-haired boy. Kageyama dissolved into light laughter after Hinata finished the last bite of the food that had become tasteless after eating with Hinata so often. Kageyama quickly realized that it wasn’t the food itself that was tasteless (he would learn this after Hinata spent 10 minutes trying to figure out all the synonyms for gross), but it was not being around Hinata that was tasteless. He felt himself growing tired more easily but he pushed through the pain. 

It got to the point that Tooru had to step in after seeing Kageyama unsuccessfully help a soul through a rough patch. Spending so much time in the human world was making Kageyama weak. Tooru watched over Hinata when Kageyama wasn’t there and the orange-haired boy mumbled Kageyama’s name in his sleep. Whatever they had was going further than friendship and it was impossible to end well for either of them. Hinata couldn’t end up in the The Land of the Damned unless he was meant to be there and after seeing him actually help an older man carry his groceries from his car to his porch, Tooru knew there was no way Hinata would end up with them. At least not by fate.

Tooru called a meeting with someone that he hadn’t spoken to in a long, long, long time: the King of The Land of the Saved : Tadashi Yamaguchi. He was kind in all the ways Tooru was petty, soft in all the ways Tooru was jagged, and giving in all the ways Tooru was selfish. Though, he did enjoy their talks over a fresh cup of tea.

“I’d like to recruit somebody.” 

Yamaguchi did a double take, his spoon clattering against his ivory tea cup. “W-what?”

“Oh, don’t sound so surprised, Dashi, I’ve done it before.” Tooru said with a wave of his hand. He lifted his own chipped cup to his mouth.

“Sorry, Tooru, I didn’t mean to be rude-”

“You and I both know you don’t have it in you to be rude.” Tooru winked and Yamaguchi blushed. “Just one person.”

“A human?” Yamaguchi asked with a slight tilt of his head. “You’re interested in a human?”

Tooru nodded, pushing his hair away from his forehead. “A human, yes. He’s caught my attention as well as the attention of my subordinates.”

Yamaguchi laughed softly at the term. “Your  _ friends _ , Tooru, you can call them your friends.” Tooru rolled his eyes in response, refusing. “Is he already damned?”

Tooru cleared his throat and ran his thumb across the chip in his cup.

Yamaguchi noticed the hesitation. “No? Is he choosing to go to you?”

“I haven’t discussed it with him first.” Tooru responded with an exasperated tone.

Yamaguchi clicked his teeth. “Why corrupt him? Why not let him choose his own way?”

“I plan to let him choose his own way. He can say no.” Tooru clarified. “I just came here to let you know I was planning to recruit him. I’m going to ask and if he says yes, he’s going to die.”

Yamaguchi nodded slowly. “What’s his name?”

“Shoyo Hinata.” Tooru said the name quietly, pretending to focus on his nail bed.

Yamaguchi’s eyes darted toward Tooru. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Tooru’s eyes flashed, the usual soft brown being taken over by a darker red color.

“Shoyo Hinata is-”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

Tooru tapped his fingers against the wooden table, scratching along the splintered top. “I’m well aware that he is a  _ saint _ . I’m aware that he was never going to see the day after he turned 25. I’m aware of your plans for him.”

“Then _ why _ ?” Yamaguchi repeated.

“One of my-” Tooru cleared his throat in annoyance at his impending admittance. “-my friend is falling in love with Shoyo and the feeling appears to be mutual. Tobio Kageyama-”

“Mm, I know Kageyama. He’s with you because he convinced himself that he didn’t belong in The Land of the Saved. He sent himself to you.”

“I know. I’m aware. He’s getting weaker. He’s changing. He’s been spending his days in the human world with Shoyo and it’s killing him. Since Tobio can’t cross over, I’m going to ask Shoyo if he wants to.”

Yamaguchi smiled fondly as he remembered the human he fell for. Tall, blonde, snarky, and beautiful. Yamaguchi never saw him coming and now he couldn’t see a future without him. “If you wish.”

Tooru stood. “I do. I wanted to keep you updated as a courtesy.”

“I do always appreciate your visits, Tooru. Please give my best to Hajime as well as everyone else.”

* * *

Tooru kept Tobio from visiting Hinata that weekend by assigning him an especially difficult soul. Tooru made his way to the little apartment that Hinata called home. He was surprised to find none of his fellow demons hanging out there as they usually did during their off time. Most of them just found the human world interesting. Tooru found it tiring.

“Shoyo! How are you today?”

Hinata looked significantly more exhausted than usual, but his smile still powered whatever fragments of heart Tooru had left behind. “I’m good. I’m good.” He seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a moment. “How are you? It’s nice to see you.”

“I’m well. I wanted to discuss something with you.” Tooru patted the couch and waited for Hinata to sit next to him. “Sit with me, Sho.” Tooru noticed the hospital band wrapped loosely around his wrist. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Hinata’s resolve weakened around Tooru as it always did. He sighed softly and rubbed his wrist beneath the scratchy laminated band. “I haven’t been feeling too well. It was just a cough at first, I thought I could ride it out but it got worse. I don’t have any insurance and the free clinics have been such a long wait lately. I had to cut hours at work right after getting promoted so it hasn’t been going too well there. My boss has been so kind, but even he is running out of excuses to tell the higher ups. My insurance at work just kicked in yesterday so I went to the hospital to get checked out and- and- and-” Hinata choked the words out, the shine in his smile fading as he tried not to cry.

“Shoyo, how would you like to become a demon?”

Hinata’s eyebrows furrowed in pure confusion. “How?”

Tooru found it interesting that Hinata’s instinctual response was ‘how’ and not an immediate no or why. “I can change you.”

Hinata turned away from Tooru, looking around his apartment. He tried to think of all the reasons why he couldn’t do that, all the reasons why he wanted to stay a human even after learning he was going to die a slow cancerous death, but he couldn’t think of any. “Tooru-” He glanced up at the older man, trying to hold tears back. “Please. Yes. If I can- will I be able to see Kageyama?”

Hinata was still attempting to smile, the sound of the darker-haired boy's name escaping his lips an automatic trigger for happiness. Tooru found it overly endearing. “Of course you can. Every single day if you find yourself needing to endure that much.” 

Hinata smiled through his tears, sobbing and smiling. Tooru pulled him into a hug and brought a whole lot of sunshine to The Land of the Damned.


End file.
